Chambers and Ohurugu

[BigIain]

Ok, so Duane Chambers has failed a doping test, served his ban and spilled all the secrets of doping back to the authorities to help them catch the cheats.

Christine Ohurugu was not actually caught in a doping test... she chose to continually miss them and failed to co-operate with the people who were trying to test her. That lead to a ban from competition too.

At least one if not both of these atheletes has cheated to build up their level of fitness and muscular development and are now world class atheletes. Chambers won the sprint double in the Europa cup this weekend and Ohurugu won gold at the olympics last year.

I personally think its a disgrace that UK athletics selects these discredited cheating persons to wear the British badge. I cringe whenever I hear the athletics brigade going on about how fantastic they are and how they are going to win for the UK in London in 2012. It brings shame on us. If these were Americans then I know that all the UK team would be crying out in protest.

Where do you stand on the topic of "serving your time" and then competing again after the ban?

[patricklondon]

Christine Ohuorogu made her case to the relevant courts and authorities: I don't know what lay behind her missing tests (though reports of her version make it sound like a technical cock-up on the part of the testing authorities), but they seem to be satisfied that she wasn't "cheating" in any meaningful sense.

Dwain Chambers was, and knowingly, up to his neck too: but I thought that created a lifetime ban from the Olympics? It certainly ought to.

[BigIain]

Hi Patrick, her third and last no-show for a test happened because she was not at her training centre at the hour in which she declared herself available for testing. Its not unusual for atheletes to chane their location during this hour. (I guess you know that this is how the system works? Same as for cyclists... every day, months in advance, they need to declare a location for their whereabouts one hour each day for testing. Like I could say between 6 and 7 every evening at my flat and if I am not going to be there then I have to call the hotline to tell the testers just in case they are coming today.) She did not make the call, er, 3 times. I will always be convinced that she had something to hide.
I recall the 2 greek sprinters being slaughtered by the UK press when they missed tests recently. They were presumed guilty as well.
I think Chambers is still pursuing that ban via the High Court? I reckon he will be past it in 2 years anyway.